Fairweather

Ah yes! The NAZI boogieman and The Patriot Act (that passed the senate...lets's see.....99-to-ZERO?). Of course, Mr. Thompson, you must realize that when you start throwin' that nazi shit around, you become just another wack-job nut case. Just so I know, tell me exactly how The Patriot Act has effected YOU as an American citizen. What freedoms have you thus far sacrificed that you possessed prior to the onslaught of this nazi scourge?

Dave, While your intentions are noble, I must remind you that your group just spent a considerable amount of time and effort working on a trail that won't see much traffic once the Middle Fork Road is closed next year. Believe it or not, many people won't want to hike 8 miles of abandoned road to get to their favorite trailhead. (Nor will they want to share The Middle Fork Trail on the opposite side of the river with mountain bikes!) ...And one of the biggest proponents of that closure was.... the WTA and your good buddy Bill S. Sounds like a fun trip, regardless. And at least you got your free USFS parking pass good for one year!

I always thought that journalists could use proper capitalization, punctuation, syntax, and actually spell!Can you find the errors and turn your paper back in tomorrow?...

Hmmmm. Now that is interesting.

Hey Everybody, We haven't said anything to anyone about this until now because we wanted to wait until things were final. We just purchased a one-bedroom condo near Hanalei Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, as an investment property and for our retirement. We finally closed today and thought you guys should know, in case anyone is interested in accommodations for an upcoming getaway to the Islands. It's available for weekends or on a weekly basis. For now, we will be handling bookings until we can find an agent. Weekends will cost about $100 for 3-nights and $250 for the week. These prices are for friends and family... And cc.com friends! Prices will be a bit different for people we don't know but can be discussed on an individual basis. In any case, it's a one-bedroom, and fold out sofa, high rise unit that overlooks the ocean, nestled among lush greens, and has a beautiful ocean view from every window! I have included a photo. Let me know if you're interested----------------- http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/3003/869pic15865.jpg

Michael Moore has now responded to a complaint by an Illinois newspaper against his controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11. The Bloomington Pantagraph charged that Moore altered a headline reading, "Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election," to make it look like a front-page news headline, when it actually appeared over a letter to the editor. Far from denying the paper's accusation, a letter from Moore's lawyer insists that the filmmaker acted within his rights, and that the alteration, "was in no way detrimental" to the paper. Pantagraph President and Publisher Henry Bird called the letter, "baloney," and said he would continue to pursue the matter.

Matt, I remain totally confused over your failure to understand the hypocricy that I point out vis a vis those who continue to blindly support Democrats. Some folks here have a problem with GWB's military service record; fine. But these tend to be a lot of the same people who supported Clinton even though his service record is totally lacking. Do these-now Bush detractors really put a premium on military service? Many of them are pacifists who would be outraged by some of the actions John Kerry has admitted to taking part in while serving in Vietnam. Again, these aren't your typical military supporters. Where was their outrage at Clinton when our air force ripped open a convoy of Kosovar refugees killing dozens? Or when we destroyed a Belgrade bridge with a missile strike killing 19 on a commuter train? I follow these things closely, Matt, and I didn't hear the condemnation...then, or now. There was no American interest in Kosovo! This is why the left supported (or sat silently by) Clinton's big adventure. I believe that the vast majority of Kerry supporters are driven by their hatred of Republicans. Why is one war that was not supported by the UN, better than another? Because one was in our national interest, and one was not? This is where the self-loathing, anti-Americanism comes in to play, IMO. Additionally, they like the social welfare state that Kerry would likely try to impose versus Bush's Reaganesque economic ideas. Fine. But why all this pretending by the left regarding their interest in military service? Really! It just doesn't work. Again; why won't John Kerry, who has based much of his campaign on his military service, release his military service records? Why?

Are you serious? Maybe you were too young to remember...The rationale given by Clinton was the supposed massacre of "ten thousand ethnic Albanians" in the Kosovo region. This was later demonstrated to be patently false.

Now you're showing the true colors of the UN stooges you and your highbrow Democrat buddies have become.

No. But he provides a clear example of the glaring hypocricy you, and those like you, so regularly display. If this is true, then why won't Kerry release his military service records? One of the swift boat accusers is a retired Rear Admiral and was Kerry's CO, for god's sake! The boats patrolled in groups of 5. Are you suggesting that one had to be on Kerry's boat to see him in action? Actually, Matt, I think it is you who is swallowing the party line ala Michael Moore's movie, etc. (How is that DNC spoo? ) The book is due out in September...let's see what it has to say. I would also point out that regardless of his actions in Vietnam (or Christmas in Cambodia ) his actions upon his return home should be the real issue!

Michael Moore releases "Farenheit 9/11"...Bush ignores it. "Swift Boat Vets" group buys anti-Kerry television ads....Kerry has his lawyers write intimidating letters to stations preparing to broadcast the spots! You tell me. Which candidate stands for free speech?

Actually, Greg, I don't have a problem with it, as long as their after-action report isn't politically biased or motivated by disdain over the realization of Bush's second term. We allow international inspectors into our nuclear facilities under the non-proliferation treaty, so why not let them come in and see how elections are done? However, as with all UN business, the "observations" are sure to become meddling eventually. Anyway, isn't the UN too busy helping out in The Sudan to worry about American elections?

And where was Clinton during Vietnam? Leading student demonstrations at Cambridge and America-bashing in Moscow! Yet this did not later preclude him from military adventures in the former Yugoslav republics...or, undoubtedly, from receiving your vote and support.

It turns out Mr Fusion never actually worked, so I'll have to find another way to go back in time.

DATELINE PARIS American cycling legend Lance Armstrong's sixth Tour de France victory has been revoked by The French Cycling Commission after several banned substances were found in his Paris hotel room. Sources say among items discovered were deodorant, toothpaste, and bathsoap.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/26628.htm A TIME FOR MANHOOD By DUNCAN MAXWELL ANDERSON August 11, 2004 -- THIS November's election is about something everyone is thinking about, and almost no one is talking about. Words like "national security" are fig-leaves for the real subject: manhood. Why does manhood matter? Because we're at war. What kind of leader do you want when armed lunatics are trying to kill you and your family? Do you need a master of nuance or a leader of men? Do you want Alan Alda or Braveheart? (Hmm. Let me think.) You might wonder why the recent Democratic convention was the gaudiest display of militarism and macho talk since the Berlin Olympics of 1936 — this, from the party that successfully ran a draft-dodger for president twice, and which won't fund a candidate who doesn't bow to the feminist abortion-god. I'll tell you why. Everyone in the United States knows what time it is: It's after 9/11. The 9/11 attacks have precipitated a crisis of manhood that is shaking our society to its roots. But for so many years, we have been so entangled in the delicate sensibilities of feminism that we can't even put our confusion into words. To state the crushingly obvious, war is a male thing. Even when directed by the occasional Maggie Thatcher or Joan of Arc, war is fought by men's rules, by men. At the same time, not all men are enthusiastic warriors; in peacetime, for the sake of civilization, there is a need for men who are contemplatives, diplomats, artists and even complainers. Martial men are always eager to believe it's time for action, that the enemy is at the gates. It can make them seem crude and scary. But on 9/11, it was suddenly obvious that the everyday heroism of soldiers, firemen and cops was indispensable. Meanwhile, the stock of intellectuals goes down in a life-or-death crisis, especially for those who weren't that brilliant to begin with. Some men claim the status of artists simply because they don't know how to change a tire. Men from the arty class can become parasites, making their try for greatness simply by throwing muck at men who are truly great. For some reason, that makes me think of Michael Moore. If his latest movie — which perhaps should be entitled "Paranoid 9/11" — were truthful, no one would go see it. Its appeal is that it's deliciously false. It's the revenge of the weenies like Moore, who resent the new importance of masculine men like George W. Bush. Moore's audiences want to believe that the Arab jihad against us isn't real, so they can force the rest of us to read their lousy poetry. Hoping for votes from normal people as well, John "Botox" Kerry has been trying to recast himself as a he-man. Kerry served in Vietnam 35 years ago, as you may have heard him say once or twice. But now the new book by Vietnam swift boat officer John O'Neill, "Unfit for Command," suggests that the recent bunny-suit image of Kerry at NASA was not far off. Testimony by Kerry's mates and commanding officers describes him as a timorous whiner who lied his way to several combat medals. Some of the first heroes of post-9/11 America had no medals or military records. They were ordinary guys catching an early flight to San Francisco. As the 9/11 commission report definitively concludes, early stories about heroism on board doomed United Flight 93 on 9/11 (often pooh-poohed as comforting fairy tales in the mainstream press) were correct. Black box recordings prove that at 9:57 a.m., a contingent of passengers "overwhelmed" (i.e., killed) the hijackers in Flight 93's cabin and bashed their way into the cockpit of the plane, which was being piloted toward Washington by the two surviving hijackers. As they were being overcome, the jihad "pilots" ditched the plane in a field in Shanksville, Pa., rather than die fighting. The fighter jets sent up to defend Washington did not know Flight 93 was approaching, and could not have stopped it. The last line of defense was that group of strangers — ordinary Americans who counterattacked against their enemies and destroyed them. For these times, in place of Kerry's limp salute and tedious 55-minute acceptance speech, I prefer Bush's terser words, on the phone to Vice President Dick Cheney on Sept. 11, 2001, on his way to the airport: "I heard about the Pentagon. We're at war. Somebody's gonna pay." Bush's directness reminds me of Jeremy Glick, the 225-pound judo champion who called home from Flight 93 on his cell phone to say goodbye and explain what was about to happen: "The men voted to attack the terrorists." Glick's fellow passenger Todd Beamer put it this way: "Are you guys ready? Let's roll."

Were you guys trying to climb the NW Peak, or take the stroll route over to the main tower? I've only seen pictures, and those seracs look pretty menacing traversing up from Combatant Col. I know you were at the col primarily for other opportunities, but do the majority of sloggers like me climb the NW Peak from Dais Glacier, or Combatant Col? Does this mostly eliminate the serac-band danger? Anyway, nice trip and cool pictures!

Let me help you out with that one. It works like this: 1. Run focus groups in Canton, OH; Des Moines, IA; and Pittsburg,PA. Develop 3 or 4 potential "messages" or replies to criticisms from these sessions. 2. Conduct a national telephone poll with said "messages" 3. Adopt the "message" that sells best among those who fall into the "undecided, likely voter" category. Now you're talkin', Will!! I hereby declare your "moderate" label temporarily restored.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040810_1370.html Today Kerry says he would still vote to authorize the use of force in spite of no WMD's being found. WTF?? I thought this guy was the anti-war candidate and at the very least, regretted his vote to give the president the authorization? I'm confused....and so apparently, is Mr Kerry. Dare I even try to understand the liberal/intellectual thought process this great beacon possesses? More news to come out soon re: his "1968 Christmas in Cambodia" experience. Apparently, even the swifties who support him say he wasn't telling the truth when he testified before congress. It seems...he was never within 50 miles of Cambodia!...and he seems to believe Nixon was president at the time too! Kerry's war stories sound more and more like fish stories. http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040809-090612-9480r.htm http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200408101318.asp Oh yea....flame on you newly converted pro-Vietnam war peace loving liberals! Your hypocricy has reached new heights of stink.

Little Tahoma. 1990. After starting late and spending too much time on the top I descended to the notch at 9000' on Whitman Crest. It was getting to be late in the afternoon and my partner arrived from above about 20 minutes later. I had the rope out and ready to go, but he simply gestured "downglacier", pointed at his watch, and without stopping headed out onto The Fryingpan. I caught up to and passed him, but not wanting to be perceived as a nag, I continued down the soft late afternoon firn without bringing up the risk at hand. Later, looking off to my right, and then my left, I noticed a very wide crack on the convex slope I was traversing. I began to tread lightly and, sure enough, it became apparent that this crevasse was very deep and wide. In fact, the icy walls were still going farther apart as it fell into blackness. As it was too late to backtrack, and I was already more than halfway across this bridge, I continued on and waited at the other side for my partner to appear from above. He was plunge stepping hard as he came into view, and oblivious to my shouting, "stop!" Sure enough, he punched through. Immediately he was in over his shoulders, with his pack and one outstretched arm the only thing keeping him from certain death in the cold darkness below. All I could see was his face and his one arm reaching out to me about 25 feet away. His legs and body dangled freely above the void. "DON'T FUCKING MOVE!...DON'T EVEN BREATHE!" was all I could yell as I frantically dug the rope from my pack. Not wanting to approach the bridge, I threw the butterfly'ed rope to him and luckily it landed within reach. He managed to twist the rope around his one free forearm and hand several times while I clipped a bite of rope onto my harness, which luckily, I was still wearing. As there didn't seem to be time for elaborate pulley setups, I simply laid down on my stomach and clawed/crawled with my pick and the toes of my uncramponed boots... downslope until he was out far enough to extricate himself. Upon reaching a safe spot, he sat down in the snow mentally exhausted. As he was a Vietnam combat veteran, I was impressed that he was quite shaken by the experience, and he just gave me a look and shook his head indicating nothing more needed to be said. The mistake was mutual, for sure. Just plain stupid. We still climb together. Lesson learned. Murphy's law. We always rope up on glaciers.

Mr. Strickland: No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley! Marty McFly: Yeah, well, history's gonna change.

"There you go again!" Mr Strickland.

re Nagasaki: http://history1900s.about.com/library/prm/blbombthatended1.htm

I do believe it. That's my point. Fuck Al-Jazera and all the reporters who just like to stir shit up. They don't give a shit about our soldiers. Let their camera men film the muzzle-flash from an American .50cal as the screen goes to static.

Cool TR. The stuff I only dream of! BTW...You might want to add a couple of f-stops for afternoon lighting next time.